Review: Sisters of Blood and Spirit by Kady Cross

Sisters of Blood and Spirits by Kady Cross
Expected Release on March 31, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen 
Purchase: Amazon

Wren Noble is dead—she was born that way. Vibrant, unlike other dead things, she craves those rare moments when her twin sister allows her to step inside her body and experience the world of the living.

Lark Noble is alive but often feels she belongs in the muted Shadow Lands—the realm of the dead. Known as the crazy girl who talks to her dead sister, she doesn't exactly fit in with the living, though a recent suicide attempt and time in a psych ward have proved to her she's not ready to join her sister in the afterlife.

Now the guy who saved Lark's life needs her to repay the favor. He and his friends have been marked for death by the malevolent spirit of a vicious and long-dead serial killer, and the twins—who should know better than to mess with the dead—may be their only hope of staying alive.

My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book!  My reading preferences are really starting to change lately and this book was everything I wanted!

Lark is a twin and she talks to her twin everyday.  This is great for Lark except that her twin, Wren, is dead and has been dead since birth.  Lark knows she's not crazy, but not everyone thinks that way and after having to go back to school and face her classmates after her suicide attempt life just well sucks.  Things take a strange turn when a few of classmates need her help and Wren's.

Some people might not like Lark, but I loved her.  She was really tough, snarky, and the big B most times, but I still adored her.  She has had to put up with a lot of stuff including her parents shipping her off to live with her grandmother so I can see why she is the way she is. Could she have toned it down at times yes, but I wouldn't have wanted her too. She was who she was and I think the author did an incredible job at writing here.  Wren was the opposite and it was nice having that balance.  I think it helped Lark ground herself a little and it helped her be able to face her daily life. 

The story was awesome!  It was gross and creepy and just so cool!  I really liked all the ghosts stuff and I think the author did an amazing job at adding things I haven't read before. I have to hand it to her to because the big baddie was chill worthy!  The story had a nice balance between romance, plot, and funny spots.  Nothing seemed fake between the characters. They all knew where they stood and nothing was sugared coated or hidden.  I really appreciated the honestly that was thrown in.  I would like to know more about the Shadowlands (the place where Wren goes to get away from the living).  I think there is a whole new world there and I can't wait to see it developed.  Plus I think Wren has a dark side and I'm really curious to see that side of her and I want to know more about Larks abilities.  I have a feeling all will be explored in the next installment.

The only thing that bothered me about this was the last few pages.  Something happens that I think was out of character and I am really hoping the author isn't going to throw in a dreaded love triangle.  I like where the characters are with each other and I don't think the story needs that. It is way stronger without the added drama.  Other than that this story was amazing and just what I have been looking for!

4.5 Snowflakes

Review: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

My Thoughts:

After reading The Name of the Star I was really eager to get my hands on the sequel, The Madness Underneath unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.  It was fun and exciting to a point but I had envisioned something a little more in depth and more ghost based and it was lacking in those areas for me.

This sequel takes off pretty much where The Name of the Star ended.  Rory has just extinguished Jack and is now living with her parents trying to overcome her fears.  She has been seeing a therapist and with her therapists approval Rory gets to final move back to her dorm and attend regular classes.  The story from here gets a little strange and kinda all over the place.  The beginning sub plot was creepy and just what I would expect from Johnson, but it is concluded way to fast and just left by the wayside.  I think if the author would have kept with the whole asylum plot the story would have been fantastic, but to quickly we are thrown into a somewhat boring plot about Rory not keeping up with her classes and her trying to find her place among the ghost hunters.  The story really takes a turn when Rory goes to see Jane, a therapist that Charlotte, her nemesis, is seeing for free.  I didn't quite understand the whole idea behind Jane and her plans, they seemed just strange and well I just didn't buy it completely.  In the end things go down not the way I wanted them too and one of my favorite characters is thrown to the wolves.  I can't believe this book ended the way it did and I have to give the author credit because if it had ended any other way I wouldn't have wanted to continue on with the story.  As it is though I am craving the next one to see if what happened really happened.

So all in all an okay sequel, I think it just falls into that weird second book in a series category that most unfortunately fall into.  It needed more creepy for me, but I have hope that the next book will totally bring it back to the ripperesque quality of the first one.

3 Stars

*ARC was provided by the publisher*

Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
Release date: September 4, 2012
Pre order: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

My thoughts: 

Holey moley!!  I had no clue that this book would A. be as creepy as it was and B. deal more with ghosts and history than actually mermaids.  Yes the mermaids play a big part but the ghosts play an even bigger part in my opinion and it was pure brilliance on the authors part!  This book was creepy, captivating and oh yeah not for the faint of heart.  *hehe*

This book has two stories in it.  One that dates back to 1872 and the other in 2011.  Told in alternating chapters we get to see two very different stories take place.   In 1872 we have Ezra who is intrigued with mythical legends of sea folk.  When he happens to stumble upon the very legend that he seeks he instantly falls in love and he knows that his life will never be the same again.  In 2011 we have Hester and she is not what I expected.  At first she seemed like your typical seventeen year old, she goes to school, has friends, and works in the summers.  Well what is interesting about Hester is that she works at a Pilgrim plantation, this is a place where everyday she gets to act like she is a pilgrim for the tourists.  I found all this very interesting and it gave Hester a whole different vibe than other girls that are in books today.  So cool!  Hester is also big into history and she lives in the same small town that her ancestors did.  This gives her a starting point when she starts to look into the "curse" that has befallen most of the women in her family.  You see after her mother gave birth she died shortly after, this happened to not only her but also her grandmother and her great-great-great grandmother.  Knowing that this could happen to her, Hester vows to never get close to anybody so that maybe she can break this "curse".  What she doesn't know is that this supposed curse goes way back in history and involves a soul, a baby, a mermaid, hatred, and love.

Sounds pretty cool right??!!   I know my little synopsis does not do the story justice by any means, but will give you a little glimpse into what this story is all about. There are so many characters and twists and turns throughout this book that I can guarantee you won't want to put it down.  I did mention that this isn't for the faint of heart right??  There are several parts of this book that gave me the shivers and they were a bit on the gory side, but man on man were they awesome!!  I loved every minute of it and I am so glad the author chose to include those little icky parts.  It was so amazing watching this story unfold piece by piece and to see Hester figure everything out. I really appreciated the paths these characters took.  There was no love triangle and no teenage angst, for the most part.  The romance was believable and I loved the way the author used souls.  It made everything come together perfectly.

Great characters, awesome plot with so many secrets that it took me up until the very last page to understand, and just an overall brilliant book about mermaids. What more could you ask for??!!

Find the Author:

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4 Snowflakes

                         
   

We also have an audio clip to share with you!!  Our lovely friends over at Macmillan Audio have sent us a sample to share with all our awesome friends!  Take a listen!

Review: The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date:July 17, 2012
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

My Thoughts:

This book definitely puts the C in Creepy!  It usually takes a lot for me to get chills from the books that I read, and yes some of that is because I shy away from thriller type books, but also because well I don't really buy into a lot of the scary stuff.  This book made me a believer from the first page.  Honestly I still have chills when I think of Annaliese.

Gosh there is so much to this story that I don't even know where to begin.  Just when I thought I had it figured out something creepy would happen and it would totally flip my world upside down.  I have to say that I loved that!!  Okay I am going to try and talk my way through this complicated, but awesome plot, so we have Rinn and she has been diagnosed with having bipolar.  She can hear voices and no they are not nice voices either.  After several tragic events she moves with her mom to her moms hometown.  Thinking they are safe from the demons that Rinn lived with in California they settle in to their new house.  Well things don't go as planned as you probably guessed and the house that they move into is their first step into a terrifying world that totally left me creeped out.  The only bright and sunny side to this story is Nate.  He is all kinds of yummy southern manliness.  The conversations he has with Rinn are hilarious and I loved their teasing banter about him being a hick.  I loved the progression of their romance and I really fell for these two characters.  Nate was a brilliant addition and he made all the creppiness bearable.

Like I said this story has so much going on that it is really hard to describe the plot because I don't want to give anything away.  Just know that there is an old possibly haunted house, a hallway in school that nobody walks through alone, and a very twisted messed up tale that goes far beyond what Rinn can comprehend. Did I mention that it is all CREEPY???  I think you get my point =P  So if you are looking for the next haunted ghost story then look no further.  Jeannine Garsee has managed to take ghosts to whole new level and I am really hoping that there will be a sequel because this book ends with what has to be one of the best lines ever!  I want more!!
Copy provided for by Netgalley and Bloomsbury.
                                                            4 Snowflakes
                                                 
                                                 

Find the Author:

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Last Breath (The Morganville Vampires, #11) by Rachel Caine

Rating:

I don't know how Rachel Caine does it. She can create book after book and still keep the story fresh and alive. This is one series that never gets boring and keeps me excited for the next.

Right from the start, we get what we have been longing to feel for what seems like forever...NEKKID SHANE! (no, he really isn't, but we can keep hoping) Oh, how i had missed his humor and snide remarks.

"Look, ask him, okay? This is girl talk. I don't do girl talk." She punched him in the shoulder. "Ass." "That's better. I was starting to feel like we should go shoe shopping or something." "Next you'll be all Me, Tarzan, you, Jane!" "I've seen you stick arrows in vampires. Not too damn likely I'd be thumping my chest and trying to tell you I wear the loincloth around here."

The dialogue always keeps me entertained.

"If you screw it up with Claire, I'll rip your throat out and drink you like a juice box, so you've got some incentive." (Michael to Shane)

In Last Breath, Michael and Eve are planning their wedding. Oliver has warned Claire that they need to call it off and people don't agree with it. This puts Claire in a bad position.

One night, Naomi comes to the house asking for Michael. Claire is hesitant about this newcomer and questions Michael's love for Eve and their near future vows. Eve has known he wasn't totally comfortable with getting married and he kept worrying and thinking that it was cold feet.

There have been disappearances popping up in Morganville. There is a new evil that has came and is determined to destroy everyone in Morganville, living and breathing.

All the characters are back and still are amazing as ever. The plot is solid and the action was great. The "Glass House Four" as I like to refer to them as, have developed a deeper family relationship. I love their commitment to one another. I loved Eve even more in Last Breath. She was amazing in the other books, but I think she has changed and I like it.

There are a few new characters that are introduced and are relevant in the storyline. Good or bad, they equal excitement and intrigue. We get a new perspective on Amelie. With pressure pressing down and a feeling of defeat, Amelie makes decisions that alter the existence of Morganville forever.

The ending of Last Breath had me all sorts of excited! Drool worthy and touching at the same time. *sigh* I can't wait to see what Rachel Caine brings in the next installment. I wouldn't expect anything but amazing once again.(